NEWS
JUSUN STRIKE: ABIA GOVT SETS 48-HOUR ULTIMATUM ON LEAVE BONUS PROOF, DEMANDS VERIFICATION AS CONDITION FOR PAYMENTS, URGES UNION TO CALL OFF INDUSTRIAL ACTION
The Abia State Government (ABSG) has moved to clear the air on the lingering industrial action by the state chapter of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), offering fresh assurances aimed at resolving the dispute while also raising critical concerns over documentation and staff verification.
Addressing journalists on Thursday at Government House, Umuahia, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr. Ikechukwu Uwanna (SAN), provided detailed clarifications on the issues fueling the strike. He was joined by the Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, the Commissioner for Labour and Productivity, the Senior Special Assistant on Labour Relations, as well as the Accountant General of the state.
At the heart of the dispute, according to the Attorney General, is the demand by JUSUN for payment of leave allowance, an issue the government insists may already be embedded within the consolidated salary structure of judiciary workers.
Barr. Uwanna explained that following the union’s request, the Office of the Accountant General sought detailed breakdowns from JUSUN to justify the claim and confirm whether such allowances had not been previously earned. However, he noted that the union is yet to provide the requested documentation.
He stated that upon internal review, it was discovered that the consolidated salary package being paid to judiciary workers includes a component known as Leave Bonus, which, according to the government, is synonymous with the Leave Allowance being demanded.
“So we asked the judiciary to provide us with evidence that there is no component of leave bonus in their salary.
“What we got on the 13th of March was a notice that the government should either pay them or they will proceed on industrial action by midnight on the 15th of March,“ Barr. Uwanna stated.
Further elaborating on the nature of the salary structure, the Attorney General emphasized that a consolidated salary is designed to accommodate all entitlements in a single package, making separate claims for allowances subject to verification.
While explaining that the consolidated salary contains everything emolument of the worker, revealed that the JUSUN was requested to provide evidence that its salary does not contain “Leave Bonus”.
He assured that once the union makes available the document and government confirms it to be true, the Judiciary workers would be paid within 48 hours.
“So, at that point, the members of the executive of the Judiciary workers were then requested to provide evidence that their salary, because the state, the Office of the Accountant General, does not have information with regards to what the details of their salary is.
“Now, consolidated salary is called consolidated because everything is consolidated into one and paid in different installments.
“Sometimes we also look at what happens in other states. Federal government does not pay for leave allowance to JUSUN members in the nation. That is our finding.
“Just like federal government does not pay leave allowance to, for instance, medical doctor or health workers in the federal civil service because of the consolidated scheme.
“The state government will pay within 48 hours it realises that there is no leave allowance or leave bonus as a component of their consolidated salary,“ Barr. Uwanna stated.
Beyond the issue of leave allowance, the Attorney General also raised serious concerns regarding the verification of judiciary staff, describing the process as one that has been repeatedly stalled by members of JUSUN.
He disclosed that the refusal of judiciary workers to participate in the verification exercise has had far-reaching consequences, particularly affecting retired staff who are yet to receive their pensions.
“As you may all recall, at the commencement, His Excellency Dr Alex Otti was sworn in, he commenced a verification exercise for all civil servants.
“And in view of the fact that we understand that the judiciary is independent, the judiciary staff were not verified when every other staff was verified.
“We then engaged the judiciary for the purpose of getting a consultant that will conduct a verification exercise for the judiciary.
“Indeed, on the 15th, that same day that they went on strike, was the day that was finally slated for the commencement of the verification exercise.
“And one wonders, is this a coincidence, or was it a well-orchestrated scheme to continue to earn salaries by ghost workers and persons who have questionable credentials?
“JUSUN is aware that His Excellency is one who is always ready and able to pay workers their entitlements, and he has made that claim by paying every other civil servant,“ Barr. Uwanna stated.
He lamented that the continued resistance to verification has directly impacted pensioners who previously served in the judiciary and appealed to union leaders to reconsider their stance in the interest of those retirees.
“JUSUN should allow the judiciary to verify its staff so that those pensioners can be paid.
“We have had a lot of engagement, and because of time, time will fail me, to explain the process that we have gone through to ensure that there’s proper verification, so that they can come into a system.
“They’re not going to come into executive system. They are going to come into their own electronic platform.
“Please, I would implore them, once again, not to continue to suffer these pensioners. We are all citizens of this state, and the pensioners are entitled to their payment.
“So let them call off the strike, so that this verification exercise can be done, and these pensioners can start earning what is due them,“ Barr. Uwanna said.
Adding his voice, the honourable Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, acknowledged the ongoing strike and reiterated the government’s commitment to workers’ welfare, describing it as a top priority of the present administration.
He however noted that, “this government takes the issue of workers’ welfare very seriously.
“We believe it is high time the government addressed these issues and move forward,“ Prince Kanu stated.
He further explained that the government is carefully considering the situation and exploring appropriate steps to restore harmony within the civil service, stressing that Governor Alex Otti remains committed to the well-being of Abia workers.
According to Commissioner for Information, “the state government is thinking about the ongoing issues with regards to the industrial action and what steps the government wants to take to ensure that there is harmony within the state civil service,“ hence the need to address the issue properly.
Also speaking, the Accountant General of Abia State, Deaconess Njum Onyemanam, reaffirmed the government’s consistency in salary and pension payments, noting that payments are typically made on or before the 28th of every month.
She emphasized the necessity for judiciary staff to provide proper documentation to facilitate any claims, while clarifying the limits of her office in handling judiciary payroll matters.
“The only question that we’re asking the judiciary staff today is to provide verifiable proof that they have earned leave allowances that were not paid over the period.
“For the judiciary, they need to provide documentation. They need to submit their documentation and go through the payment process to be able to get their lump sum.
“The Accountant General does not handle the payroll of the judiciary. Accountant General does not handle the payroll of the judiciary.
“The judiciary handles their payroll, and when they come up to make their demands, when they come, raise their payment vouchers, and their payment vouchers go through the process of payment, that is the only time the Accountant General has the legal right to make that pay,” Onyemanam explained.
Present at the briefing were the Commissioner for Labour and Productivity, Hon. Kingsley Nwokocha; and the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Labour Relations, Sir Comrade Godson Anucha; alongside other key government officials.
As tensions persist, the Abia State Government maintains that dialogue, transparency, and due process remain the pathway to resolving the impasse, urging JUSUN to cooperate with verification efforts and provide necessary eviden
ce to fast-track resolution and restore normalcy within the judiciary sector.